Romeo and Juliet: Play versus Movie

By Emma Hall

The 1996 movie Romeo and Juliet is portrayed much like the play. Although there are many key differences between the two, there are some that stuck out. In the play, everyone is fighting with swords, but in the movie, they use guns. Another difference is how Mercutio was added as the comedic relief character. It also made it a lot more memorable, and the viewers more appreciative of it. A similarity, and what I believe made the movie what it is, is that they used Shakespearean language as the dialogue. It made the movie so much more interesting to follow along and to fall in love with the characters even more.